AG Insurance - Soudal to Amstel Gold Race Ladies

AG Insurance - Soudal to Amstel Gold Race Ladies

Our team lines out at the start of the prestigious one-day race for the sixth year in a row.

The Ardennes Classics get underway this Sunday with Amstel Gold Race Ladies, which starts from Maastricht and finishes in Valkenburg. It will be a day spent in the Limburg hills for the riders, who are set to tackle 21 climbs spread out over the 158.1 kilometers of this 12th edition.

The local circuit around Valkenburg, which will be covered four times, is the day’s main attraction, as there some teams usually decide to apply pressure on the peloton until it’s reduced and many of the pre-race favourites can’t count on their teammates anymore. Cauberg, the hill which is synonymous to Amstel Gold Race, is once again the final obstacle of the day. Crested with just 1700 meters to go, it can be decisive as there’s not much time left for those dropped to come back and fight for the win in a reduced sprint.

One of the only four active riders with eight starts at the Dutch Classic, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio will once again pin on a number for Sunday’s race. A top ten finisher here on five occasions, the 40-year-old South African will make her 33rd appearance in an Ardennes Classic together with a strong AG Insurance - Soudal squad comprising Mireia Benito, Anya Louw, Alexandra Manly, Ilse Pluimers and Nicole Steigenga.

“This spring we’ve been hit pretty hard with injuries, but coming into a race like Amstel we have a positive outlook. We also have the freedom to race aggressively and to be disruptive, and our team is really motivated to get this special week of racing off to a good start”, said sports director Dani Christmas.